Act Now To Avoid Frozen & Burst Pipes This Winter

With The Met Office predicting a colder than average winter this year, home and business owners alike would be wise to take all the necessary precautions to ensure that they don’t suffer any frozen or burst pipes this season.

The damage that this can cause can be incredibly distressing, not to mention expensive, but the good news is that there is much you can do to help prevent it from becoming a problem in the first place. And the even better news is that it’s not difficult to do either.

You’d be wise to repair any dripping taps you have as this will help to stop water from freezing, and also make sure that you know where your stopcock is so that if something does happen you can switch off your water supply immediately.

Keeping your pipes well insulated is also certainly advisable as this will help prevent them from freezing up in the first place. And put your heating on at regular intervals throughout the day when it’s especially cold outside, remembering to use a timer if you’re going away for a few days.

If the pipes do freeze, however, turn the water off at the stopcock straightaway and then thaw your pipes out using a hot water bottle. Turn your central heating off if the pipe bursts and open all the taps up to drain the system. Check your insurance policy as well to make sure it hasn’t lapsed and that you’re covered for certain emergencies so that there are no nasty surprises either.